Business Invitation Letter: From Events to Sponsors

Business invitations are used to invite office staff, companies and individuals of interest to attend events and important meetings, to become donors, or to join a part of your company board. Business invitations are usually drafted on quality paper or cardstock and mailed out to the desired parties. You want to ensure that your mission is explicitly stated and you convey a sense of eagerness to the potential attendee so they feel like they have been selected for something special. These invitations should be short and should employ strong persuasive language. (Learn how to improve your business writing skills in this course).

All business invitation letters should be on company letterhead, which is to say, with company logo, address, phone number and website information. The templates below will show you examples for a business invitation letter to help sponsor an event business event invitation.

The structure of the template should be similar to this (of course, adapt this to your particular event or cause):

Company logo

Company Address

Company Phone number

Company website

Date

Dear [whomever the audience is],

Introduction: Draw the audience in, short and sweet.

Event information:Where is it, when is it, why is it happening and how many people do you intent to show up?

Purpose: Are you inviting them to participate in the event? Or are you inviting them to attend? Why do you want them there?

EXAMPLE 1: Invite a business to an event

The purpose of this letter is to formally invite you to an once-in-a-lifetime charity event that supports the international non-profit organization ABC Nonprofit of the World.

The theme of the benefit is For Africa: A Celebration for the Children of Ghana. The event will take place on November 2nd, 2014 at 7:00PM at the Byrd theatre in Richmond, VA.

This eclectic event will host African dance, keynote speakers, music, and other artistic celebrations of the African spirit. The performances will be followed by a silent auction held at the Old Manor downtown. Accouterments will be served and there will be live music during the community social hour. Additionally, there will be a small African market which will sell authentic goods brought over by staff from Africa.

We anticipate over 500 people in attendance the night of the benefit including prominent figures from Virginia Commonwealth University, Director of the Social Work Fieldwork program Joe Smith, and the co-director of Sovereign Global Mission, a well-renowned non-governmental organization in Accra, Ghana. Your role in this community as a pioneer for social justice is iconic and we would be honored to have you in attendance at our event.

Our community is very socially conscious and compassionate towards serving marginalized populations both domestically and abroad. It’s of this notion that ABC Nonprofit of the World seeks to empower underprivileged communities in Africa to become self-sustainable and eliminate the need for aid. Our intention is to raise awareness for the plight of these people and we are eager for you to join us.

Africa has the greatest proportion of people living under the poverty line, and Ghana is no exception. Over 13 million Ghanaians live on less than $2 a day. We’ve seen women walking miles to fetch a day’s worth of dirty water, and we’ve seen children dying from preventable diseases because their family couldn’t afford, or didn’t have access to health care. These are blatant violations of their basic human rights. But fortunately, you can help!

ABC Nonprofit of the World is a start-up, Virginia based organization, designed to empower underprivileged African communities like those in Ghana to become sustainable and outgrow the need for aid. Our hands-on development projects are innovative, use an integrated approach, and are determined by the needs of the communities we work in ensuring a relative and long-lasting response. The spheres of community need we focus on are: food, water and energy, education, health, environment and infrastructure. By supporting international volunteers with housing, meals, tools, and organized work at no charge we can provide free and effective services to communities in need.

We are encouraging local businesses to join us in our “$10K by the 10th” challenge! If we meet our goal, we can: 1) send our co-directors, Joe Simith and I, to Ghana in June to financially secure our volunteer base, 2) begin to establish teams of volunteers to lead sustainable development projects and, 3) continue conversation and planning with local community leaders about forthcoming initiatives. You can help us raise $10,000 by June 10th in one of the following ways:

• Allow 5% of a day’s profits to be a tax-deductible contribution to ABC Nonprofit of the World. Date will be set by business owner

• Display a donation jar and business cards that we provide for one week

• Become a sponsor by making a tax-deductible contribution (see included sponsorship form)

If you are interested in participating please email me at me@myemail.com, or call me at 555-555-5555. For showing your support we will ensure due recognition is given by thanking you and your business on our website.

I have enclosed a self-addressed envelope for your convenience. Please make all checks out to “Peacework” and designate ABC Nonprofit of the World on the memo line. Peacework is a Virginia non-profit accepting tax-deductible donations on our behalf while we pursue 501(c)3 status.

Thank you for your time and support,

[signature]

Name

Title

A business invitation letter is just a formal way of reaching out to a group of people to support or attend a business function. Whether you are inviting a business to attend your event, or you are inviting office staff to a company party, the template is relatively universal.

If you are requesting an RSVP make sure to include a self-addressed and stamped envelope. You want to make the acceptance process as painless as possible for your attendees. If you prefer to receive RSVP’s electronically – make sure you let them know how to reach you. Before you begin corresponding over email, check out business email etiquette.